It feels very trivial to be writing a Premier League Waiver Wire column after the events in Leicester on Saturday night. However, in a sense, isn’t this why we play? Fantasy football is a silly little game we play to take our minds off more serious woes. We get to lose ourselves in trivial fantasy football decisions and forget about the problems of the world for a little while each day.
This week, in the Premier League waiver wire column, we will be looking at how to use the base fantasy statistics available to us, to inform our decision making. The obvious statistic in this context is ownership percentage. It is one of the most reliable and useful statistics that owners have available to them. Generally, following the advice of the majority is a good tactic. Looking at ownership percentages and changes should be a part of most Premier League waiver wire decisions that fantasy owners make.
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Week 11 Premier League Waiver Wire
The FPL Draft waiver wire deals with players owned in 65% or less of Fantrax Leagues.
1. Marc Albrighton – Midfielder – Leicester – 35% Owned
Leicester had a plan on Saturday, and that plan was to feed Marc Albrighton. Albrighton played down the left side in the first half before switching to the right side later on. Whatever side he was on he put in crosses like Jamie Vardy puts away red bulls. At the end of the game, Albrighton had 25 crosses in total, for an incredible 40.5 togga scoring fantasy points. It’s unclear if this is a new direction Leicester will be taking, but a game like that shouldn’t be ignored. Albrighton is a high ceiling, low floor midfielder with a great run of fixtures coming up. He should be picked up from the Premier League waiver wire and started in all leagues against Cardiff this weekend.
2. Ross Barkley – Midfielder – Chelsea – 65% Owned
Can we all just start again with Ross Barkley and pretend he’s an unknown up and coming prospect? The once highly touted ‘England savior’ is back in form and back in our lives. Barkley has shown that he is significantly improved as a player and has made a significant case for himself to get regular starts for Chelsea. Barkley’s pass for the first goal was excellent however his finish for the second goal was sublime. Chelsea has a lot of football coming up, and Barkley may well continue to get the Premier League starts. His points per game average is misleading as this was the first game in which he played 90 minutes. When starting, Barkley is an every week fantasy starter and should be claimed off the Premier League waiver wire accordingly.
3. Matt Ryan – Goalkeeper – Brighton – 55% Owned
The Brighton Goalkeeper and Atlanta Falcons Quarterback has been excellent for the past three weeks. The Seagulls have won 3 consecutive games 1-0 and Ryan has racked up 17 saves in that time. He was a big-time fantasy sleeper last season and after a slow start to this campaign, looks to be returning nice value now. Brighton avoids playing a top 6 team for six games now and in their current form will be looking to continue their run of clean sheets. Ryan is a safe fantasy goalkeeper especially in two points per save formats. His schedule and safety mean there is a team in every league that could benefit from claiming Ryan from the Premier League waiver wire.
4. Gerard Deulofeu – Forward – Watford – 61% Owned
Ok, so Watford are good again? Not top of the Premier League good but they are certainly outmatching the bottom half teams. Deulofeu has yet to play 90 Premier League minutes for Watford and has stiff positional competition, but he also has bags of quality. He has been sidelined with a foot injury since last season and is only recently building up to match fitness. Gerard is a product of the Barcelona youth academy. If he can get up to match fitness, Deulofeu should shine for the Hornets and can return top 20 fantasy striker value. He’s a good pickup for teams with a bench spot for a speculative Premier League waiver wire pick up.
5. Chris Lowe – Defender – Huddersfield – 11% Owned
If you want to win at fantasy football but don’t want to have fun doing it, can I recommend Chris Lowe? Huddersfield aren’t particularly fun to watch and Lowe hasn’t set the world alight this year, but the Terriers left-back has had consistent returns in almost every game. I’m always getting comments about the waiver wire saying ‘all these players are already owned in my league,’ so here you go, this is what you get. Lowe has a decent floor thanks to his crosses and occasionally gets an assist. Pick up Lowe off the Premier League waiver wire and plug him in for 8-12 points a game.
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